Attorney Generals' offices press releases: on Families & Children

Martha Coakley: Prosecuted against no-show jobs at MBTA

An investigation revealed that on 66 occasions between April 2007 and June 2008, the restaurant employed 15-year-old workers beyond 7 PM on a school night, the latest permissible hour for a 15-year-old to work during the school year. The investigation also revealed that a 15-year-old worked more than eight hours in a day in violation of the maximum hours permitted for 15-year-olds.

The Massachusetts Child Labor laws include restrictions on both the occupations in which minors may be employed, as well as the hours during which they may work. The law also requires employers to ensure that teens have proper work permits prior to beginning work, and that employers post all minors' work schedules in the workplace.

Kamala Harris: Let same-sex couples marry the person they love

"Equal protection under the law is a bedrock of our Constitution," said Harris. "I look forward to the day when all Californians are granted their full civil rights and can marry the person they love."

In 2010, a court invalidated Proposition 8 on the grounds that it violated the equal protection guarantee of the 14th Amendment by taking away the right of same-sex couples to marry. Governor Jerry Brown and Attorney General Harris both refused to defend Proposition 8 on the basis that the law is unconstitutional.

"The sole yet profound effect of Proposition 8 was to take away the right of gay and lesbian couples to call their union a 'marriage' and to strip loving relationships of validation and dignity under law," says the brief.